


Inner Animals

by Rubymoon_Snape



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Black Jaguar, Black Mamba - Freeform, Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Earning Respect, Gen, Shapeshifting, Surprises, broganes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25266061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubymoon_Snape/pseuds/Rubymoon_Snape
Summary: Each Paladin has the ability to turn into their inner animal.
Relationships: Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith & The Blade of Marmora
Comments: 7
Kudos: 111





	1. Inner Animals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Each Paladin has the ability to turn into their inner animal. The Paladins retain their eye color no matter which form they are in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: This is broganes and was suggested by xXkitsuneknightXx. The Paladins' forms are:
> 
> Shiro - Gray Wolf/King Cobra  
> Keith - Black Jaguar/Black Mamba  
> Lance - Harpy Eagle/Fer-De-Lance Snake  
> Pidge - Honey Badger/Western Diamondback Rattlesnake  
> Hunk - Sun Bear/Green Anaconda

"Inner Animals"

Allura thought she knew what her Paladins were capable of. She had no way of knowing that she was about to be proven wrong.

%%%

It was a late night in the control room. Shiro was sitting in his Paladin seat, doing a scan of the region they were flying through, when the door opened, and in shuffled Keith, who was wearing a pair of black sleep pants and a soft red shirt. He walked over to Shiro and leaned against him.

"Hello, Keith."

"Takashi, you need sleep."

"I have the night shift."

"Ni-san, I'm tired."

"Then, go to sleep, ototo."

"Not without you."

"I'm not leaving."

Keith's form blurred before a Black Mamba appeared, quickly slithered up the Black Paladin seat, and settled around his brother's neck. Shiro chuckled. "I guess you aren't either."

%%%

Allura stopped short when she entered the control room the next morning. There sitting in the Black Paladin seat was Shiro, but he had a long, gray snake draped around his neck. The snake opened its mouth in something akin to a yawn.

"You know that mouth of yours freaks me out." The snake looked Shiro in the eyes and fake yawned, showing off the black interior of its mouth. "I don't need any of your sass, and close your mouth."

The snake closed its mouth and laid its head back down against Shiro's chest. Allura hesitated before stepping onto her platform and calling out, "Good morning, Shiro."

Shiro turned around. "Oh, good morning, Princess. I guess my shift is over."

"Yes. Go ahead and take the morning off to rest."

"Thanks, Princess. I'll do that as soon as we eat." Shiro gestured to the snake that lifted its head and looked at the princess with strange, purple eyes.

"Very well." Allura watched as Shiro and the snake left. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen those eyes before.

%%%

The Paladins and Alteans stopped by a peaceful planet to restock supplies. Lance decided to transform into his bird form and go flying. He adored the feeling the wind beneath his wings, but he never strayed far from the castle.

When Allura announced that they were getting ready to take off, Hunk let everyone enter the castle before whistling and catching Lance's attention. He landed on his arm, and Hunk carried him into the castle.

The whistle also caught Allura's attention. She watched as a relatively large bird landed on her Yellow Paladin's arm and was about to scold him for taking a bird into the castle but stopped as she realized that whatever the bird was that it wasn't native to the planet that were about to leave and had the most piercing blue eyes that looked strikingly familiar somehow. She would talk to Hunk about where he got the bird from, but right now, she had to fly the castle ship.

%%%

Allura was passing the Green Lion's hangar, when she heard a strange conversation taking place, which caused her to pause.

"Pidge, please! I just want a couple of pictures!"

"No, Lance."

"If I can't have access to the classic memes, then I will make my own copy of them, and what's more classic than the honey badger meme?"

"You're as bad as Matt."

"Come on! Just _one_ picture!"

"Ugh, if I agree, will you stop harassing me?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

"Yes!"

The conversation left her with a couple of questions, one of which was 'what was a meme?'

%%%

Allura froze in the doorway to the training deck. There tussling was a gray wolf, a black feline, a black bear, and something else Allura couldn't identify. Lance was sitting on the sidelines surrounded by Keith's jacket and everyone's bayards.

"What is going on here?"

The four animals froze, and everyone looked at the princess. Lance stood up and waved a hand at the animals. "You guys continue. I've got this."

The animals went back to play fighting while Lance approached the princess. "Sorry about that. I guess we forgot to tell you and Coran. Humans can change into what we term as our inner animal. Most humans have one shape they can take, but us Paladins have two." Lance started pointing at the animals. "Shiro is a Gray Wolf or a King Cobra, Keith is a Black Jaguar or a Black Mamba, Hunk is a Sun Bear or a Green Anaconda, and Pidge is a Honey Badger or a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake."

"What about you?"

"Oh. I'm a Harpy Eagle or a Fer-De-Lance Pit Viper."

"I don't know if I believe you, Lance. It sounds made up."

Lance chuckled. "All right. We can give you proof." He stuck two fingers into his mouth and gave a whistle. The four animals stopped tussling and looked at him. "All right, guys. Change back."

To Allura's surprise, the Gray Wolf changed back into Shiro, the Black Jaguar changed into Keith, the Sun Bear changed back into Hunk, and the Honey Badger changed into Pidge.

"Believe me now?"

"My apologies, Lance. I didn't know humans could change their forms. May I see your forms and the others' alternate forms?"

Lance shrugged his jacket off, tossing it to join Keith's, before he transformed into a Harpy Eagle. He launched into the air for a moment before coming to land on Hunk's shoulder. The eagle blurred and Lance was once again standing behind Hunk. He grinned, and all five Paladins changed into their snake forms.

Her eyes widened when she saw the gray snake that Keith became, because she recognized him as the snake that was draped around Shiro's neck a couple quintants ago. She looked at the others. Shiro (almost 11 feet) was a little longer than Keith (over nine feet) with Hunk being the longest and biggest. Lance and Pidge were a lot shorter than the others, Lance being just shy of six feet and Pidge barely reaching four.

Shiro changed back into his human form and scooped up Keith. Keith wound himself around Shiro's neck before Shiro stroked his head. "We apologize for not telling you sooner, but we aren't used to people _not_ knowing."

"It's all right, Shiro. My only question is are any of you guys dangerous?"

"Typically no, but we can kill someone. The terrestrial forms we have are capable of killing with either teeth or claws, but our snake forms have venom, except for Hunk, but he can crush someone with his body." He tapped Keith's head. "Hey, open up, buddy."

Keith looked at Shiro confused but did so anyway. Shiro gently grabbed Keith's head and pointed out the fangs. "The four of us have these fangs that deliver the venom to whatever we bite." He released Keith's head and gently stroked his head. "Thanks, bud."

Keith hissed, but Shiro knew he wasn't angry; however he put him down anyway. The snake blurred before he became the Black Jaguar he was before she came in. Keith head butted Shiro's leg. "All right, ototo. You win."

Shiro's form blurred before he became the Gray Wolf again. Keith growled and tackled Shiro, while the other three Paladins became human again and steered clear of the play fighting animals as they approached the princess.

"They'll be at it for awhile," Lance mentioned. "Keith and Shiro love to train in all their forms."

"But I saw you two," Allura pointed at Pidge and Hunk, "training with them."

"It wasn't training. We were just having fun."

"Fun?" Allura looked at Keith and Shiro. "I guess it could be."

Fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note 2: I chose these animals not for the region they originate from, but because they are different than most stories I've seen and because most of them are my favorite animals. The Paladins have two forms, because I couldn't make up my mind which one I wanted them to have. These are real animals, and if anyone wants to know more about what they are or why I chose a specific animal for a Paladin, then leave a comment, and I will reply with my reasoning.


	2. Astonishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blades stumble upon Keith in his black jaguar form. They don't know it's him until they catch his scent. When Keith opens his eyes, they are still purple, confirming their suspicions. Keith shifts back and explains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: This is AU, where Thace, Ulaz, and Antok survived. Keith considers the BoM his pack, and they consider Keith their kit. This was suggested by Tayzx101.

"Astonishment"

The Blades were pleased as they smelled their kit in the familial nest room. Keith was training a lot less and resting more often. Kolivan opened the door to the nest room and paused. Antok, Thace, and Ulaz peeked around Kolivan to see what made him pause. There laying in their nest was a large, black feline type creature. It was apparently asleep.

Ulaz ducked under Kolivan's arm and cautiously crept closer to the feline. He knelt outside the nest and sniffed in the feline's direction. The scent he detected surprised him. He turned around and told his pack, "This is Keith."

"What?"

The feline twitched, yawned, and opened his eyes, revealing their purple color; the exact same color as their kit's eyes. Suddenly, the feline's form blurred and was replaced by their kit's typical human appearance. "Hi."

"We didn't know you had a different form, kit," Ulaz stated as the rest of the pack entered the nest.

"Humans can change into what we term as our inner animal. Most humans have one shape, but the Paladins and I have two." Keith pulled out his data pad to show his pack pictures of the other Paladins' forms. "Shiro is a Gray Wolf or a King Cobra, Lance is a Harpy Eagle or a Fer-De-Lance Pit Viper, Hunk is a Sun Bear or a Green Anaconda, and Pidge is a Honey Badger or a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake." When Keith mentioned the animals, he pointed them out in the picture, so his pack would understand what these animals were.

"I see your feline form in a few of these, but who is this?" Thace asked, pointing at a gray snake draped around Shiro's neck.

"Oh, that's my other form. My feline form is a Black Jaguar, and my other form is a snake called the Black Mamba."

"Can we see your other form, kit?" Kolivan asked.

"I guess."

"You don't have to show us if you are uncomfortable," Antok stated.

"It's not that. My snake form is small, even though it's kind of long. As long as you guys don't move when I'm in that form, it should be fine."

Keith closed his eyes, and his form blurred before he became the gray snake the Blades had seen in the picture. He lifted his head and looked at his pack with his purple eyes. Thace extended his hand in an invitation for Keith to slither up onto his arm. Keith shook his head and shifted back into his human form. "I'd rather not. I'm tired, and I don't want to sleep in my snake form."

Thace smiled and opened his arms. "Then, come here, kit, and you can take a nap."

"Not a nap," Keith muttered but climbed into Thace's lap anyway.

Thace grinned and started grooming Keith's hair, eliciting a purr from the kit. Keith's eyes slid closed, and his purrs changed in pitch, telling his pack that he did indeed fall asleep.

Fin


	3. Respect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blades have noticed the two creatures hanging around the four highest ranking Blades in the organization, but who were they and where did they come from? They had no idea that they were about to get the surprise of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: This is AU, where Thace, Ulaz, and Antok survived. Keith considers the BoM his pack, and they consider Keith their kit. This was suggested by Tayzx101.

"Respect"

The Blades were used to the unexpected, especially out in the field, but at headquarters, routine was part of their lives and was a welcome difference. The only disruption from the routine was the appearance of Voltron, or more specifically the Red Paladin. Not only was he part Galra, but due to his age, he was actually a kit. The four highest ranking Blades, who were a pack, took the poor kit into their pack, but the entire organization considered Keith their kit.

The base usually knew when the kit was there, because he would be seen with one of his pack members or in the training hall, but it had been a strange few movements, because not only had the Blades only caught fleeting glances of the kit, but they had also seen a black feline type creature lounging in the nest in Kolivan's office and a long, skinny strange gray creature hanging around Thace's neck or even Antok's neck. It was quite unusual, but they didn't want to ask their leaders about them.

%%%

Kolivan sighed as the two Blades exited his office. They had been paired on a mission and had reported back that it was successful, but they had stuttered at the beginning of their report, due to catching sight of the black Jaguar lounging in the nest in the corner of his office. He was glad his kit was comfortable enough to be seen in his other forms, but perhaps it was time to actually let the other Blades know who it was.

Keith let out an chuff like sound, drawing Kolivan's attention back to him. He pinned his kit with a half glare. "If you wish to say something, kit, you need to shift."

Keith hung his head but shifted as his eldest pack member requested. "Sorry, Kolivan. I was thinking that maybe we could communicate like that."

"Regardless of what the Blue Paladin thinks, Galra are not feline, so no, we cannot communicate when you are in your feline form."

Keith stepped out of the nest and over to Kolivan. "Once Lance is convinced of something, it's almost impossible to convince him otherwise. Anyway, what I was saying was I know that look you had when the two Blades left. We can tell the others if you think it's best."

"It's a possibility, kit. However, Antok wants you to join him in the training hall."

Keith grinned. He knew it wasn't time for his training session as that was scheduled for the second afternoon session, but the largest Blade liked to have Keith hanging around his neck in his Black Mamba form during the new recruits training session. Keith didn't mind it. In fact, he considered it a plus to get to hang out in the training hall. He did manage to pick up some pointers and saw new techniques that he wanted to (and did) try out in his own sessions.

He nuzzled Kolivan before he walked out of the leader's office. He headed for the training hall, nodding to Blades as he passed them in the hall and earning anywhere from a nod to a hair ruffle to a pleased rumble in return. He was in such a good mood when he entered the training hall that he jumped onto Antok's back without shifting first. Antok reached back and patted Keith on his head and received a chirp in response before he shifted into his Black Mamba form and draped himself around Antok's neck.

%%%

The new recruits were wary when they entered the training hall. The reason for this was _mostly_ the large Blade in charge of their sessions but also the unusual gray creature that could be seen hanging around his neck. At first, the creature seemed tame and docile, until one time.

There had been two recruits that didn't get along and had started fighting in the training hall before the actual training session got started. Before Antok could roar at the two recruits, the creature around his neck slid down to the ground; reared up, raising a third of its body off the ground; and opened its mouth, revealing an inky black color and hissing menacingly. Everyone (except Antok) in the training hall froze, which seemed to be the correct response as the creature lowered itself back down. Antok lowered his arm, seemingly offering the creature the opportunity to come back up to rest around his neck again. The recruits watched as the creature did just that.

Ever since then, the recruits were wary when they saw the creature around Antok's neck. They were also worried when they saw the same creature draped around Thace's neck, though it never moved while the Blade worked, even though its eyes were open.

%%%

Antok stroked Keith's head as he watched the recruits train. Antok had asked Keith about his display in the training hall, after the recruits had left. The kit explained that it was his way of warning in his snake form and that he hadn't meant to step in but he was worried that the recruits would hurt each other. After reassuring his kit that he didn't take offense to it, Keith joined Antok during the new recruits training sessions.

"So, are we going to give the recruits a reason to fear you as my kit?" Antok whispered so softly Keith almost didn't catch it. Keith raised his head minutely and turned to look at Antok. "At the end of the session, you could shift back into your human form. You know they fear you in your snake form."

Keith thought about it for a couple of doboshes before nodding. He went to laying limply around Antok's neck and remained that way until a few doboshes before the end of the session. Antok plucked him from around his neck and set him on the floor.

"I think this was a successful session, don't you think so, kit?"

Kit? The recruits looked around for the organization's kit but couldn't see him. The tick their attention was turned back in Antok's direction, Keith shifted back into his human form with a smirk on his face. "I agree."

The recruits stared at the kit. He and the creature were one and the same? Did that mean that the kit could be as scary as the creature? The smirk never left Keith's face even as he shifted into his jaguar form and padded out of the training hall. The tick his tail was out of view, the recruits turned to look at Antok.

"You did just see that. My kit has the ability to change his form. He can be both the feline and the snake, and his personality doesn't change with his forms. He understands and remembers everything."

The recruits turned and looked at the doors again. It was clear to Antok that they had a healthy dose of respect for his kit, and that was the point of showing them Keith's forms.

Fin 


	4. Finding Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the base finds out about Keith's shifting ability.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: This is AU, where Thace, Ulaz, and Antok survived. Keith considers the BoM his pack, and they consider Keith their kit. Vrata and Khrex are my original characters.

"Finding Out"

"You must have been seeing things," Vrata stated.

"I wasn't seeing things. He can change his form and was scary," Khrex insisted.

"The leaders' kit isn't scary."

"You wouldn't say that if you saw him."

"I see the kit around the base, and he's not scary."

"Let's settle this with the cameras."

%%%

Thace was on duty in the communications room with Keith napping on his back in his human form. He figured he would get most of his work done while his kit took his nap. He wasn't planning on having two Blades disrupting his quintant.

Khrex and Vrata hurried into the communications room and got shushed by Thace. The two Blades hadn't noticed the kit on his back before then, and Khrex felt lucky that they hadn't woken him up.

Vrata looked at the sleeping kit and whispered to the younger Blade at his side, "Does that look like someone scary?"

"Yes."

Thace fought to keep the smile off his face. Khrex was one of the newer recruits that witnessed Keith's shifting abilities. The entire pack had expected the news to spread quickly, but they didn't expect Blades to end up in the communications room, which was why Keith was napping in there. However, he wasn't going to disturb his kit during his nap.

%%%

Vrata sat down at one of the vacant consols and looked at the younger recruit. "When was the session where you claimed to see this?"

"Just the previous quintant's first afternoon training session."

Vrata easily located and pulled up the feed for the training session in question. Khrex leaned over and said, "It happened near the end of the session."

The elder Blade moved the indicator near the end of the time stamp. He hit play. "Let's see this supposed shift."

The two Blades watched as Antok plucked the snake from around his neck and set him on the ground. "I think this was a successful session, don't you think so, kit?"

The recruits on the feed looked around the training hall before the snake shifted back into the unmistakable form of the organization's kit, who smirked. "I agree."

Vrata watched in shock as the kit shifted into the black feline he had seen in Kolivan's office during the post mission briefing the same quintant.

"You did just see that. My kit has the ability to change his form. He can be both the feline and the snake, and his personality doesn't change with his forms. He understands and remembers everything."

Thace watched the two Blades out of his periphery as he finished decoding the latest transmission from a Blade in deep, deep cover. His attention was drawn to his kit, who was seemed to be having a dream if his whines were anything to go by. Thace rumbled to him in hopes of soothing him, but it didn't help. Keith's purple eyes flew open and roved over the communications room, his breaths coming in pants. His breathing calmed down as he recognized the room and that he was with one of his pack mates.

"You're all right, kit. Why don't you go rest in Kolivan's office? It's probably quieter in there."

Keith nodded, slid off Thace's back, and shifted in his black jaguar form, padding out of the room. Thace noticed Vrata and Khrex watching Keith leave the communications room and realized that they would probably have to make a base wide announcement to make sure all Blades knew of their kit's shifting ability.

Fin


End file.
